Our societies today doesn’t long for God. Society seems to be far away & estranged from God. Society seems to go only after temporary pleasures and those temporary pleasures never satisfy. That is why we are always hungry and unsatisfied. Money and possessions, power, achievements, conquests, human praise -heck we even make our health problems and negative thoughts have a major throne room in our lives. People even go after "temporary religious" experiences only to find themselves a short time later- that their longing for God is taken up by the cares of life and they again find themselves unsatisfied.
If a person understood their value to God they would value what God has to say not what society has to say but since they value society more then God- society has becomes their "god".
1Peter 2:2 says:
"You must crave pure spiritual milk so that you can grow into the fullness of your salvation. Cry out for this nourishment as a baby cries for milk,"
God should be in his rightful place in our lives. He should be ruler of our hearts but since He is not our focus we stumble constantly and ride this roller coast of our own emotions while we seek for the next greatest thing to satisfy us. Like a drug addict looking for their next hit.
People don’t seem realize that the temporary thoughts and things have become gods in their life. Our selfish evil desires make slaves to them thinking they will somehow satisfy us but all they do is keep us chained to a certain mindset and place where we are not moving forward at all but gaining the world and losing our soul in the process. People are unaware of the evil spiritual world keeping them captive. They are tube fed by temporary pleasure- uncaring about their eternal destination.
Life is temporary. We as Christians are told to "remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites when he judges. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as foreigners here on earth. For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. He paid for you with the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God." (1 Peter 1:17-19)
This life is about learning and growing and maturing in God’s love. Life is about seeing our real need for Him and why we need to accept Jesus Christ as LORD and Savior of our lives and being empowered by His grace and His righteousness. Life is about seeing that God has a plan for our life and He wants to walk and empower that important plan and purpose out in our lives despite our everyday challenges and circumstances. God helps a person overcome those challenges and circumstances.
The temporary things only fill up our time and energy until there is no time and energy left for what is truly important. We become easily confused, frustrated, tired, indifferent, depressed, weary, hardhearted, selfish, shortsighted, tunnel visioned, and we ignore what is truly important. Soon we find ourselves only a shell of person who is spiritually empty and we have ignored the important gifts in our life such as relationship with our Creator God our Heavenly Father.
We ignore the needs of ours spouse, our children, our family, our friends and even our neighbors.
Psalm 107:9 says this about God: “For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.” (NKJV)
God wants to fill our longing soul with his love so that just His goodness pours out of our lives.
2 Peter 1:3 says:
"As we know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we need to living a godly life. He called us to receive his own glory and goodness"
Does your soul long for the things that are good? (Peace, joy, hope, mercy, grace, love.)
Do you long for more or are you satisfied with just going through the motions. Are you satisfied in your possessions saying I have all I need?
Christians have you forgotten your first love? Have you become lukewarm? Remember what the Lord says about those who forget their first love, become lukewarm and are satisfied with their gain of possessions? Are you going into your church and leaving the same way you came out?
Have you ever seen anyone's possessions follow them to heaven? You can't take them with you. You leave this earth even with less possessions then when you came into it.
Writer G. Walter Hansenin, wrote:
“I am spellbound by the intensity of Jesus’ emotions: not a twinge of pity, but heartbroken compassion; not a passing irritation, but terrifying anger, not a silent tear, but groans and anguish; not a weak smile, but ecstatic celebration. Jesus’ emotions are like a mountain river cascading with clear water. My emotions are more like a muddy foam or a feeble trickle.”
My buddy Geoff and I used to spend many days of our youth in the Cascade Mountains and a mountain river was hard to miss. You can hear a mountain river roar from a long distance away. It is a powerful source to behold. It is fast moving, full of passion. It rumbles and it’s mist sprays high in the air. The fervor warns you that if you slip into it you would be swept away.
Fervor... Do our churches truly have fervor for the LORD as He has for us? Are we swept away in the fervor of the Lord? What would it be like to be in a church filled with fervor for the LORD? Are you thirsty to hear from the Lord?
I firmly believe God doesn't go where He isn't wanted. He will go to the soul who longs for Him and the people who want Him.
Is your passion is as inconstant as the wind? It is what you consider “good” one day and out of sight the next?
Are the works in the church done but have no mindset of the Spirit of Jesus Christ in them? Like everything is regimented to a man-made schedule where God only has a limited amount of time to move.
A child wouldn’t say to their parent- “Well Mom and Dad you only got 10 minutes of my time today because I am going over to Pete’s house to play street football, play video games and spend the night.”
God wants to empower and influence our lives!!!
Your Father God wants you to know Him and what He can do in your life!
Besides there is a time coming and is already here where people will be persecuted because they believe in the One true God who is Father, Son (Jesus Christ) and Holy Spirit.
Are you ready to be persecuted for your faith in Jesus Christ? Are you ready to become outcasts because you will not compromise to the truths in the bible? Are you ready to be considered prejudiced, biased, intolerant, bigoted, narrow-minded and opinionated, by your society because you choose to stand and believe in what bible speaks and says?
Do you really believe God in your heart or do you just know in your head knowledge? Do you have the courage? How is your relationship with the Lord?
These are all questions WE MUST ALL honestly ask ourselves and confront. Are we living in the love of our flesh or the love of Christ? Who’s love must we live in? Head knowledge won't empower us alone... for we must love our God with our HEART and SOUL as well. And God will draw close to us as we draw close to Him.
Society has always grown cold towards God throughout history and has served it’s false gods but when the persecution comes upon us, will we be able remain warm to those who hate and resent us? Where will those searching for warmth find it if we only mirror the same hatred spat at us? God is the only one who enables us to love without condition those who hate us. (Speak up for what is right in love.)
Just think of all those who hate God by their actions yet He still loves them hoping they will turn to Him to be saved through His Son Jesus Christ.
Persecution has always refined the church just as it has done the individual who receives it and turns to God. Persecution sifts the church and helps us get a good look at where we stand spiritually before God.
Are our churches filled with a true atmosphere of praise and thanksgiving towards God? Are the teachers and pastors filled with a passion with the LORD? Is their passion anointed by God or self-ambition? Teachers and Pastors is your level of passion for the Lord washing over your classes and congregations as you teach and preach? Are we crying out to the Lord knowing He is gives power and meaning behind the words given?
Dry bones….. God wants to put muscle and skin on those bones. He wants us to truly know His love and live in His Love where we can be bold in His love. (Bold as lions.)
A passionate church for Jesus Christ is sifted just as quickly. Those passionate for Christ make those less passionate or those lukewarm uncomfortable. I have heard of people escorted out of churches because they “openly” worship at God’s “supposedly” alter.
King David, sobbed at the alter. He tore his clothes and laid flat in front of the alter.
Passion for Christ should NOT be full of religious indifference, strictness, banter or thought the leads into division or focus upon one’s own fleshly desires for attention nor should what be acceptable be decided by societal norms.
Can I judge the way in which someone worships or cries out before the Lord? NO! For only God knows the heart. Does it make you uncomfortable when one of pure transparent faith does this? Where is your compassion? Where is your shared burdens and praises?
Does God not work in mysterious ways at times? So who am I to limit how God chooses to move His people? He is the potter I am only a piece of clay.
A passion of Christ is to be free to express their love for Him with tongues and words of praise, hands lifted up, singing and dancing. David sang and danced did he not? And he was said to have a heart for God. He gloried in the Lord.
Restraint is to be at the discretion of the Holy Spirit’s leading not man’s discretion.
A believer should only be concerned of their own accountability to God for we will all have to stand before God for our own actions and this and this only should put fear into our hearts.
Those who don’t open themselves up to true worship are still slaves to what others think and they are missing the opportunity to experience God’s love. For we enter into his presence through his gates and courtyards of praise and thanksgiving. We pastors, teachers and fellow believers should enter into God’s house with expectation of God and His directing and leave full of encouragement, peace, joy and expectation that God is with us to empower us in His righteousness, grace and love.
That His word and presence confirms He has done and is doing a great work in us as we hold firm and focus upon His great love.
If you are one who appreciates music and a message like this in song, listen to this song by Shawn McDonald called "Something Real"
http://www.myspace.com/shawnmcdonald/music/songs/something-real-80196659
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